Electric cable



July 30, 1940.

VACUUM/0MP J. K. WEBB 2,209,895

ELECTRIC CABLE Filed March 5, 1936 HFSEWa/R 0F F 877/?[YE47' ATAMSP/IER/C PRESMR! 11 REE/P1 04? 0F 9 \S'TX/PE'AE U/YDEW suns? a nrwos lvew/c PRESSURE z J a 049;;MwmAT/QN/MPREQMFEB wywuyuwsrmzms INVENTOR. Jalm/ If. W555 Patented July 30, 1940 2,209,895

ELECTRIC CABLE John Krauss Webb, London, England, assignor to International Standard Electric Corporation,

New York, N. Y.

Application March 5, 1936, Serial No. 67,308 In Great Britain July 19, 1935 9 Claims. (Cl. 174-23) This invention is for improvements in or resheath. The cable sheath between the nipples is lating to-electric power cables of the type comprisheated to about 120 C. by means of heater ing porous insulation, usually paper, impregnated which is inside of heat insulating housing 6 surwith oil insulating compound, and has for its obrounding the cable I so as to render the oil in 5 ject to provide a method of inserting oil rethe cable fluid. The styrene to be used must 5 sisting barriers in such cables at any desired point be thin and freshly distilled and it may be used or points therein. Usually the provision of such pure or mixed with some plasticiser, such as barriers is restricted to location at joints or diphenyl. terminations in the cable, but the present in- The styrene is introduced into nipple 3 under 10 vention provides a method which enables baratmospheric pressure from reservoir 1 and is 10 riers to be inserted at existing joints or at any drawn through to the other, 2, by applying intermediate point or at the termination of a vacuum to the latter. In so doing an amount of cable. oil is withdrawn from the cable which is re- This application is a continuation in part of placed by styrene. When suflicient oil has been my copending application Serial No. 745,931 replaced in this way, styrene is forced into both which has issued as Patent No. 2,105,567. nipples under pressure from reservoir 8, an air According to the present invention, a polymerpressure of about 40 lbs. sq. inch having been isable material such as liquid stryrene is introfound satisfactory. The temperature of the duced into the cable insulation by means of sheath being maintained at about 120 C. betappings or openings in the cable sheath and the tween the nipples, polymerisation will result in 20 material is then polymerised in situ to form a due course, and a barrier will be formed in the solid barrier in the cable. cable. The styrene being forced in during poly- In applying the method, styrene is fed to one merisation serves to compensate for contraction opening under pressure in excess of that existing on polymerisation. Reference numerals 8, 9, I0 at the other opening, so that some of the oil in and II indicate control valves. 25 the cable between the openings is replaced by The process above described is also applicable styrene. Heat may be applied to the cable beto the case of cable ends without modification extween the openings to render the oil fluid and cept that in certain cases the end of the cable subsequently to polymerise the styrene. itself may provide one of the openings so that it The invention will be better understood from would only be necessary to provide a tapping 30 the following description of a preferred method into the sheath at a suitable distance from the of carrying the invention into effect taken in open end of the cable. conjunction with the accompanying drawing in The method may also be applied to an existing which Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of a three cable joint to convert a straight-through type of -core cable incorporating a barrier according to joint to a barrier joint. Thus, the tappings 35 the invention and Fig. 2 is a cross-section along could be provided in the cable sheath at each side line 2-2 of Fig. 1. of the joint or in the ends of the lead sleeve It has been found possible according to the covering the joint, with if desired an additional invention by inserting nipples in the lead sheath tapping at the centre of the joint and styrene of a cable and causing a flow of styrene from one introduced as previously described to impregnate 40 nipple to the other to replace a certain volume the existing oil impregnated paper tapes of the of oil with styrene. When this has been polyjoint. Alternatively the paper tapes around the merised by heating, a barrier to the flow of oil joint may have been impregnated in styrene and along the cable is formed, and if the process is the process may be used to effect a firm bond 5 properly carried out, the electric strength of the between the jointing tapes and the cable incable does not suffer deterioration. sulation.

In forming a barrier according to the invention The term styrene used in this specification the cable sheath 1 is tapped and nipples 2, 3 are and claims is intended to include pure styrene inserted at least one foot, but preferably about or a mixture of styrene and some suitable three feet apart. The lead sheath between the plasticiser such as dinhenyl or its derivatives. 50

nipples is swaged down tightly on to the cable What is claimed is: insulation 4, as shown in Fig. 2, to ensure that 1. A method of providing an oil resisting barthe Styrene quently introduced will pas rier or termination in a metal sheathed oil imthr u h t insulation a d not merely escape pregnated cable without removing the original oil through the space between the insulation and the impregnated insulation therefrom which consists 5 in introducing a polymerisable material such as liquid styrene into the original oil impregnated cable insulation by means of tappings or openings in the metal sheath and applying heat to the cable between the openings to render the oil fluid and to subsequently polymerise the material.

2. A method of providing an oil resisting barrier or termination in a metal sheathed oil impregnated cable without removing the original oil impregnated insulation therefrom which consists in providing tappings or openings in the metal sheath, applying liquid polymerizable material such as liquid styrene to one opening under pressure in excess of that existing at another opening so that some of the oil in the original insulation of the cable between the openings is replaced thereby and thereafter polymerizing the material to form an oil tight barrier in said cable while forcing some of the polymerizable material into said opening under pressure during the polymerization to compensate for contraction upon polymerization.

3. A method of providing an oil resisting termination in a metal sheathed oil impregnated cable without removing the original oil impregnated insulation therefrom which consists in introducing polymerisable material such as liquid styrene into the original oil impregnated cable insulation through an opening near said termination in excess of the pressure existing at the termination whereby the oil in the original insulation of the cable between said opening and termination is replaced thereby and thereafter polymerising the material to form a barrier in the cable.

4. A metal sheath electric cable having continuous, uninterrupted, uniform porous insulation, a section of which is impregnated with polymerized styrene forming an oil tight barrier, the remaining portion of said insulation being impregnated with oil.

5. A method of providing an oil resisting barrier or termination in a metal sheathed 011 impregnated cable without removing the original oil impregnated insulation therefrom which comprises providing tappings or openings in the sheath between which the original oil impregnated insulation exists, applying liquid polymerisable material such as liquid styrene to one opening under pressure in excess of that existing at another opening so that some of the oil in the original insulation of the cable between the openings is replaced by said liquid polymerisable material and thereafter polymerizing the latter to form an oil tight barrier in said cable.

6. A method in accordance with claim 5 wherein heat is applied to the cable between said openings to render the oil in said cable fluid.

7. A method in accordance with claim 5 wherein said cable sheath between said openings is swaged down tightly on to the cable insulation to ensure theliquid polymerisable material subsequently introduced will pass through said insulation and not merely escape through the space between the cable sheath and insulation.

8. A method of providing an oil resisting barrler or termination in a metal sheathed oil impregnated cable without removing the original oil impregnated insulation therefrom which comprises providing tappings or openings in the sheath between which the original oil impregnated insulation exists, applying thin freshly distilled styrene to one opening under pressure in excess of that existing at another opening so that some of the oil in the original insulation of the cable between the openings is replaced by said styrene and thereafter polymerising the latter to form an oil tight barrier in said cable.

9. A method of providing an oil resisting barrier or termination in a metal sheathed oil impregnated cable without removing the original oil impregnated insulation therefrom which comprises providing tappings or openings in the sheath between which the original oil impregnated insulation exists, swaging the cable sheath between said openings tightly down on to said cable insulation, applying heat to the cable between said openings to render the oil in said cable fluid, applying thin freshly distilled styrene to one opening under pressure in excess of that existing at another opening so that some of the oil in the original insulation of the cable between the openings is replaced by said styrene and thereafter polymerizing the latter under pressure to form an oil tight barrier in said cable.

JOHN KRAUSS WEBB. 

